Float-operated switch.



J. G. MICHAEL.

V FLOAT OPERATED SWITCH.

APPLICATiON FILED MAY15. I918.

Patented Mar. 4,1919.

TAKES G. IICHLEL, 0F WINDBER, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLOAT-OPERATED SWITCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 4, 1919.

Application filed lay 15,1918. Serial No. 284,607.

To all whom itmay concern Be it that I, JAMES G. MronAnL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Windb'er, in the county of Somerset and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Float Operated Switches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to electrical switches, and more particularly to float-operated switches.

In mines using electricity, many small pumps are installed which are run by electric motors. These primps are in many cases in inconvenient places Where the attendant cannot readily inspect them on his daily trip and where it is very difficult for him to know at all times whether the pump should be running or not running. As a consequence of this, the electric motors connected to all the This is not only expensive but it is very hard onthe pumps and on the motors too. and obviously it leads to a great waste of power. I

The main object of my invention is to provide a float-operated switch which will take care of this condition, which will automatically start the motor when the water I has risen to a predetermined height and automatically stop the motor when the level of the water has fallen below a predetermined height.

A further object of this invention is to provide a very simply constructed, automatically operating switch for the purpose above described which may be easily and quickly repaired, which may be easily housed within an iron casing in conformity with the laws relating to gaseous mines, which will work in connection with a starter or in direct connection with the motor, and in which none of the parts, except the switch blade and contact, are charged with electricity.

A further object of the invention is to provide a construction of this character wherein the switch blade is thrown to its closed or its open position very quickly, thus making no flash.

Still another object is to provide a floatoperated switch in which the float is operatively connected to the switch blade by a spring. there being a spring detent to hold the switch blade from movement so that the prings will be placed under tension by the pumps are kept running all of the timer elevation of the Heat until such time as the power of the float is greater than the power of the springs, whereupon the blade will jump into engagement with the switch contact.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the panying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the floatoperated switch;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 -2 of Fig. 1;

3 is a section on the line 3--3 of 1g.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the casing within which the switch may be mounted.

Referring to these figures, 10 designates a base of any suitable material which may conveniently be made of slate, and mounted upon this base are the switch contacts 11 and 12. The bases of these contacts are angular in form, and the contacts themselves, which are designated 13 and 14, res ectivelv, extend out parallel to the base. ivotally mounted upon the contact 14 and shiftable into or out of engagement with the contact 13 is the switch blade 15 which may be made of copper-or other like material and which has mounted upon its extremity the iron tip 16 with the upwardly extending lug or nose 17.

Pivotally mounted upon the base 10 in any suitable manner is a lever 18 which at its outer extremity is operatively connected to a float rod 19 in turn connected to a. copper float 20. The float rod 19 is preferably provided with a plurality of openings 21 so that fastening devices connecting it to the lever 18 will be shiftable and thus the float raised or lowered or regulated accordingto the conditions under which it is designed to operate. The inner extremity of the lever 18 is attached to an upwardly extending spring rod 22 which at its lower end is formed with a head attached to the lever 18 or extends into a socket 23 carried by the lever. Pivotally connected to the switch blade 15 are the laterally disposed strips 24 of insulating material, such as mica, or hard fiber. There are two of these strips 24 disposed, one on each side of the switch blade and pivotally connected thereto in anysuitable manner and also connected by transversely extending screws or pins 25 and 26 which are spaced from each other. The strips 24 are spaced from each other in any suitable manner, ,as

by intermediate sleeves, and the resilient rod erted, by the float and by the tension of the 22 extends upward between these members 25 and 26 which form stops with which the rod is adapted to engage. The strips 24 simply form a connecting rod between theresilient arm 22 of the lever and the switch blade. It will be obvious that the rod 22 in its movement moves not only longitudinally of the connecting rod formed by the members 24 but transversely thereof and that in this movement it will contact with the pin 25 or the pin 26, depending upon the direction of movement of the arm 22.

Mounted upon the slate base is a stud 27 carrying a spring 28 which is preferably a flat spring, and mounted upon the end of this spring is a pivoted detent 29 which is angular in form to provide a depending arm 30 and an arm 31 which lies normally upon the face of the flat spring 28. This spring 28 .is so arranged that the detent 29 is disposed above and slightly in front of the lug 17 and in the path of movement of this lug from a position where the switch blade is retracted. It will therefore be obvious that as the blade 15 shifts under the action of the float it will engage with the detent 30 and be held thereon until the power exerted by the float is suflicient to cause the lug 17 to lift upward on the detent against the force of the spring 28. 7

It will be obvious that the switch mechanism herein shown may be protected in any suitable manner in accordance with Government laws pertaining to gaseous mines, and to that end I have shown the mechanism as inclosed within a casing 31 which-may be made of sheet metal or anyother suitable material. The base ofthe contact member 13 is connected to the positive wire leading from the source of current. The electrical connections to the motor have not been shown as these will be obvious to any electrician.

It will be noted that the post 27 is cleft, this cleft being held closed by a nut 32. This construction permits the spring mounted upon the post to be either adjusted inward or outward toward or from the base upon which the mechanism is mounted, or permits the spring to be adjusted longitudinally so that the detent may be disposed in proper relation to the extremity of the switch blade.

The operation of my invention will be obvious from what has gone before. As the float commences to rise, assuming the parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 1, the arm 22'w'ill engage against the pin 26 and this will shift the switch blade to such a position that the detent 30 engages the lug 17, thus impeding the further movement of the switch blade. The further rise of the float causes the resilient arm 22 to bond and be placed under tens1on and as the float continues to rise this tension will become greater and greater until eventually the power exspring arm 22 will be 'suflicient to overcome the tension of the spring 28 and the swltch blade will fly over into contact with the con tact 13, thus closing the circuit through the motor. When the float falls, the arm 22 will first shift between the stop pins 25 and 26 and then as the float continues to fall the 'arm 22 will bend and be placed under tension until such time as the tension is sufliciently strong as to overcome the engagement of the switch blade 15 with the contact 13 whereupon the blade will fly back to its original position, the pivoted detent 29 permitting this reverse movement of the blade. It is to be understood, of course, that the detent 29 is so pivoted or mounted upon the spring 28 that it is yieldingly held in the position shown in Fig. 1.

My invention does away with the necessity of any attention being paid to the operation of the pumps, except, of course, in so far as the regulation of the pumps is concerned. The pumps will be automatically started and automatically stopped, depending upon the height'of the water in which the float is immersed. Aside from the general advantages incidental to my construction it is particularly pointed out that I get a tpriiixek break of the switch contacts, thus ma g no spark, which is particularly necessary 1n mines wherein there are explosive gases. Furthermore, it will be seen that none of the parts are charged with electrlcity except the switch blade and the contacts, and that when the switch is open the only element which is charged with electr cit is the contact 13. Furthermore, it w1l l e seen that there are no levers or welghts to cause friction, and that the whole device is extremely simple. It may be made at a low cost and use under service. condi tlons has shown that it will make a great saving of power as the motors will only run when it is necessary.

Having described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In an electricswitch, a blade, coacting contacts, an operating member having a resihent arm, a connection between the blade and the resilient arm having spaced stops between which the arm is disposed and between which the arm has movement,.and a resiliently supported detent disposed in the *path of movement of the blade toward one of said contacts yielding to permit the movement of the blade when the spring arm has been placed under a predetermined tension.

2. In a float-operated electrical switch, a pivoted switch blade a contact with which the blade coacts, a level, a float operatively connected thereto, a resilient arm extending from the lever, a connection between said arm and the lever, a spring disposed beyond the free extremity of the "arm and yielding in the plane of the arm, and a detent carried upon the extremity of the spring member and normally engaging the extremity of the blade.

3. In an electrical switch, a pivoted blade, a contact with which the blade is adapted to engage, a lever, a float adjustably connected to the lever, a spring arm mounted upon the lever, a connection between the spring arm and the lever, spaced stops on the connection between which the spring arm operates, and an adjustable detent normally disposed in the path of the blade and impeding its movement in one direction until the resilient arm has been placed under tension by a rise of the float.

4. In an electrical switch, a 'base',-contacts' mounted upon the base, a switch blade pivoted to one of said contacts and coacting with the other contact and having a lug mounted upon its extremity, a lever pivoted upon the base, a float having a float rod a-djustably connected to the extremity of the lever, a resilient arm mounted upon the lever and extendin approximately parallel to theswitch .bladb, spaced members of insulating material pivoted to the blade and embracing the arm, transversely extending stops connecting said spaced members and between which the arm is disposed and between which is has movement, and means for yieldingly detaining the switch blade from movement to close the switch comprising a fiat spring, and a detent supported upon the extremity of the spring and engaging the lug.

5. In an electric switch, a blade, coacting contacts, a pivoted operating member having an angularly disposed resihent arm, an o erative connection between the blade and the resilient arm having spaced stops between which the free end of the arm is disposed, and a resiliently supported detent impeding the movement of the blade from an open to a closed position but ielding to permit the movement of the bla e when the spring arm has been placed under a predetermined tension. e i

6. In an electrical switch, a shiftable blade, at contact with which the blade is adapted to engage, a lever, an angularly disposed spring arm mounted upon the lever,

an operative connection between the free end of the spring arm and said blade, and adetent normally disposed in the ath of movement of the blade and impeding its movement in one direction until the resilient arm has been placed under tension, said detent including a resilient shank, and a slotted postthrough which the shank passes, the shank being adjustable through the slot in the post and the justed.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

7 JAMES G. MICHAEL. Witnesses: Y

IRA M. WENTZEL, ANDREW J. JONES.

post being rotatably ad- 

